User talk:Angela
Skin Hi Angela. Part of the problem with the main page stemmed from the fact that it was designed with the current monobook style sheet in mind. I can't seem to find where the other skins, like QuartzSmoke, are, so I haven't updated them yet. Can I just start MediaWiki:Quartz.css from scratch? Also, would it be possible to switch the default skin for this site to monobook for now? That's the one it's currently being designed for, and I think it's a better way to attract users from Wikipedia at this stage in the wiki's development. Thanks. - Kuukai2 23:38, 4 September 2007 (UTC) :The other skins are at quartslate.css and quartzsmoke. Is there a reason you'd prefer the wiki to use monobook? The skin has been designed with new users in mind, with aspects to encourage people to get involved and new opportunities to personalize their view of the site. The new "Quartz" skins are set as the default to ensure visitors to the wikis can benefit from new features such as article rating, automated display of the top content and recently changed content, and a growing number of personalizable widgets. The ads are also much smaller for logged in users on the new skins, which many people find preferable. Angela (talk) 01:16, 5 September 2007 (UTC) ::I'm hoping to attract some casual Wikipedia users, and I think that a familiar format increases the odds of contributing, at least it did in my case. As far as smaller ads for logged in users go, I don't intend to get in the way of any user who wants to switch to quartz. If the community, once we have one, wants to switch to something else for default, I'm all for it, but right now the extra features don't do much (the top article is just as under construction as anything else), monobook already has a GaoGaiGar theme, and it's more familiar. - Kuukai2 02:35, 5 September 2007 (UTC) :::Now that the GaoGaiGar-Betterman Wiki is joining the WGEP, I feel even more strongly that MonoBook would be more suitable. All the wikis on WGEP use MonoBook default skins, and tie together with an "anime encyclopedia"-like look. Even this site currently has a "-pedia" nickname in the logo (I don't want to chance the namespace to anything less obvious than "GaoGaiGar-Betterman" at this stage, though, to make the site easier to find). Can you please change this site's skin to match? Thanks. - Kuukai2 06:03, 10 September 2007 (UTC) :::::None of those have monobook as their default. If you're seeing it, it is probably temporary during the transition to the new skins. The next release of the skins is coming soon which will give admins the option to set a color scheme for the whole wiki, so hopefully this will address your concerns about the WGEP wikis not being consistent since they will all be able to choose the same scheme. I don't understand the comment on the logo or namespace. Are you saying you want them to be something else? Angela (talk) 16:48, 10 September 2007 (UTC) ::::::Sorry, I think I missed two new member wikis that are using Quartz-. Animepedia and all but two of the member sites have "MonoBook (default)" displayed under Preferences>Skins, though, and this matches what I see when I load it from various computers. ::::::I should have been more clear about what I was getting at with the namespace thing. Some Wikis, like Uncyclopedia, are retaining MonoBook because they're clear Wikipedia spinoffs. I also thought this was true for the many "-pedia" wikis of WGEP, but apparently I was wrong. What I was trying to explain was that I consider this site along the same vein. The main reason the namespace isn't currently "Zonderpedia" (or "Micipedia") is because "GaoGaiGar-Betterman" makes the site much easier to find out about. A Google search for GaoGaiGar crossed with Betterman shows how this was a good idea. Once a community develops, it will probably change to a -pedia name that gives the site more identity. That might not be relevant if the rest of the WGEP is switching to Quartz-, but I thought I'd explain what I was saying. ::::::In any case, I had another idea that I posted on my talk page. If the idea is enhancing the reader experience, couldn't we add the option the .hack//Wiki seems to have, where guest users can still switch back and forth? - Kuukai2 20:05, 10 September 2007 (UTC) ::::::Would this be hard to do? - Kuukai2 05:14, 19 September 2007 (UTC) :::::::The link isn't something that ought to be still there. It was only a temporary thing while the skin was new and wikis that still have it are just waiting to be upgraded. I suggest you wait until the new version is launched before making a decision to encourage users to use the old skin since this new one will allow all WGEP wikis to have a consistent color scheme as well as relevant widgets displayed in the sidebar. None of these new features are available in the old skins. Angela (talk) 08:16, 20 September 2007 (UTC) ::::::::I don't see why the link has to be a temporary measure. What's the harm in letting readers choose? I'll wait on deciding the default/encouraged skin, but I just don't see a downside to the link, from any perspective. - Kuukai2 21:52, 20 September 2007 (UTC) ::::Readers still can choose, and you link to something like save quartzslate skin in the normal way. I just meant that the link above the ad is not a normal part of the interface. Angela (talk) 23:46, 20 September 2007 (UTC) :::::I see. Ok, I'll wait and give the new features a shot, but if MonoBook still seems more appealing to the userbase at that point, would it be possible to set it up as default? I'll add a link for anyone who wants to use Quartz, but I think the majority should decide. Taking a note from the dothack wiki, I try to keep in contact with "joe user"s on forum communities, so I can get a pretty good idea of what the users of this specific site want. I'll post links to my results if you want, I just feel the community itself should get the final say. Thanks. - Kuukai2 06:06, 28 September 2007 (UTC) ::::::I for one think it would be a good idea to keep this as it is. Changing it now saves the trouble of changing it back later, especially since later the Wikia ACG wiki will probably be switching to. Remember that the default skin is not for editors, the readers are the ones who are only affected by default skins because they can't change. The editors are absolutely free to pick, and since you kinda like that skin switching option I've taken the bit that Afker put on the AliceSoftWiki and put it here. In the Sitenotice up top there is now a skin switcher so users can easily switch skins according to what they want. If you are absolutely adamant on anon users being able to switch to, there is the possibility that I could be poked into creating some special type of JS which would accept some sort of &anonsave=true parameter and change the normal cookie, links using that could be put in the anonnotice and that would let anons change skin for the wiki here. ~NOTASTAFF Daniel Friesen-local (DanTMan, Nadir Seen Fire) (talk) Sep 29, 2007 @ 04:07 (UTC) :::::::I know that it only affects readers, and that's why I'm talking about it. There are wikis where the readerbase desires monobook. I polled .hack//Wiki readers on Gaia before (unanimously for MonoBook, I can link if you want though it's scattered throughout a thread), and I'm thinking I'll do the same for this Wiki. The switching ability is good, but the average reader doesn't really know the names. That's why I think the default should be the one most popular with readers, and more advanced users can get the option to switch. Like I said, I'll wait for the new Quartz features (that's what I'm waiting for, right?) and see what people think, but my experience tells me this wiki's demographic will like monobook better. Thanks, though, for now this is definitely an improvement. - Kuukai2 19:54, 29 September 2007 (UTC) ::::::::There are serious problems with "sidebar" that I've tried and failed to move to from Common to Monobook.css. Until someone can do this, content is basically only readable in Monobook, so I'm encouraging it for now. Otherwise we'll just be scaring away potential contributors with illegible black blocks. - Kuukai2 07:53, 4 October 2007 (UTC) :::::::::Ok, for now could you please change the default skin to quartzslate? Thanks. - Kuukai2 20:14, 7 October 2007 (UTC) ::::::::::I'll make that change now. You might also want to reconsider the sitenotice? Angela (talk) 18:58, 10 October 2007 (UTC) :::::::::::Ok, thanks. I'll change the notice as soon as the black-on-black navbar problem is fixed. - Kuukai2 21:28, 10 October 2007 (UTC)